High school student was a hard worker

An H.L. Bourgeois High football player killed in a crash with a school bus a week ago is being praised by those who knew him.

Jordan GribbleStaff Writer

An H.L. Bourgeois High football player killed in a crash with a school bus a week ago is being praised by those who knew him.Marcus Cheatham, 16, was among four killed in the Saturday wreck in St. Mary Parish.“He was quite a gentleman,” H.L. Bourgeois Head Football Coach Daron Franklin said. “He worked hard on and off the field. He was dedicated to performing well in football and academically.”Cheatham had been playing on the school’s junior varsity team since his freshman year and was competing for a spot on the varsity team.“Marcus was competing for a linebacker spot and had been working really hard,” Franklin said. “He had been working really hard even in his off-season workouts. He was committed to his goals.”Off the field, Marcus was popular, school officials said.“He was a well-liked kid, liked by his peers and teachers,” H.L. Bourgeois senior counselor Donna Boudreaux said.The school’s students and faculty are showing support for Marcus’ brother, Mark Cheatham, a 17-year-old senior who was injured in the crash that killed his mother, Ladonna Cheatham, 36; sister, Destiny Cheatham, 6; and cousin, Dwayne Escort, 14. Marcus and Mark are from Schriever, and the others lived in Patterson.“Mark’s on the team as well, and all of their teammates have been showing them a lot of support,” Franklin said. “They walk him to and from all of his classes.”The school will hold a candlelight vigil soon to remember Marcus and his family, school officials said.State police said Marcus and his family were headed west on U.S. 90 near Franklin about 11:45 a.m. last Saturday when the left rear tire of the 2004 Kia Sorrento Ladonna was driving blew apart. The SUV crossed a median and struck an eastbound bus carrying the Lafayette High baseball team, police said. An adult and seven students on the bus were injured.A fund has been established to collect money for the victims’ funeral expenses. Donations to the Cheatham-Escort Fund are being accepted at all Whitney Bank branches.. Staff Writer Jordan Gribble can be reached at 857-2208, or jordan.gribble@houatoday.com. Follow him on Twitter @JGrib_Courier.